Taking Public Transportation Gets Easier with Android Google Maps

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Bus, train, tram or subway — the latest version of Google Maps
for Android, released today (Aug. 16), lets you choose which to
take. It's particularly helpful in cities with competing modes of
public transportation, such as New York.

Now when you choose a subway route, for instance, bus lines will
be hidden on the map, making for a quicker read. You also can see
more information about a particular station with a single tap on
your Android
phone , such as departure times, lines serving that station,
and distance to nearby stations.

Google has added some nifty features for tourists and others who
are new to a region. Whenever you search for a city or postal
code, the borders of that region are now highlighted. And there
are new tabs under My Places where you'll find maps you've saved
to your starred places and can use when you're offline. If you've
turned on Location History, you can browse a day-by-day display
of where you've been.

If you're an iPhone
or iPad user, you cannot access My Places from your mobile
device. You'll need an app, such as My Places for Google Maps,
available for 99 cents in the App Store. (A free version is
available, but it lacks important features, including access to
your history and starred locations.)

Google Maps has public transportation schedules for
about 500 cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and
Paris. Anyone with an Internet connection can see his or her
public transportation options along with routes for driving,
walking and biking, but using the mobile app makes getting around
a lot easier. Google Maps is available in Google
Play.